Members of the American Association for Employment in Education, a professional organization for college career-center directors and school district recruiters, provide career advice and discuss developments in the education job market. To ask for specific advice or suggest topics, write to [email protected].

By AAEE January 22, 2014 at 12:08 PM

It is about this time that many pre-service teachers are beginning or returning to their classrooms for their student-teaching experience. As you do so, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on your personal teaching philosophy and what you hope to imbue in your students. Specifically, I encourage you to think about the importance of citizenship, responsibility, and community action. Your students are part of communities, many of which they define themselves, and all of which are larger than themselves. As effective educators, we seek to identify these communities and encourage our students to think critically about their ...

By AAEE January 15, 2014 at 9:36 AM

Do you believe? Take time to reflect on that question, and what it means to you as an educator. Whether you just graduated and are in the first weeks of your teaching experience, searching for a teaching position, or are getting ready to begin your student teaching, this is a very important question. Do you believe in yourself as a teacher? Do you believe in your students and that each and every one of them has the potential to succeed? Below is a video that you may have seen before, but I encourage you to watch it again; if you ...

By AAEE January 8, 2014 at 12:19 PM

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is ready for a fantastic 2014, and if you are searching for a teaching position this year, I wish you all the best! For those of you who have begun your search for a 2014-2015 academic year teaching position know the intensity and time that can go along with creating professional documents, gathering necessary materials, and identifying districts where you would like to teach. So, how do you get a job? The first step is to apply, but in order to do so you must be prepared! My advice is to pace yourself, but ...

By AAEE December 31, 2013 at 5:44 PM

[Check out the video, "Everyday Leadership," //www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership.html, by Drew Dudley, on TED Talks] As educators we have likely provided countless "lollipop moments" for our students and their parents. What I love about Drew Dudley's message here is that as student teachers, new teachers, and seasoned professionals, we have the opportunity to be leaders in our classrooms, our educational institutions, our professional organizations, and beyond. What would it be like for YOU to take the leadership role in a group project for your teacher's prep program? What about in your student teaching placement? ...

By AAEE December 18, 2013 at 7:39 PM

Are you a fresh new teacher heading out to interview and compete for the best teaching job out there? Well, you aren't alone! Be sure to follow these tips to get ahead in this upcoming interview season: Research, research, research. It is 2013, soon to be 2014, and Google is a powerful tool. So is LinkedIn. When you are offered an interview at a school or with a district, politely ask for the names of those with whom you will be meeting, and then do everything in your power to find more information about them. The more armed you are ...

By AAEE December 13, 2013 at 10:24 PM

Hold off on writing a general cover letter. Instead, be sure to have a targeted list of districts and schools and then tailor each letter to the needs of each particular district. Organize your interview portfolio. Many candidates have come to my office for a mock interview prepared to get through a 2-3 inch binder that they printed from LiveText for their licensure requirements. They are often shocked when I recommend that they edit it down to a ½-1 inch binder and to practice referencing their portfolio without the interviewer asking to see it. Locate your references past and present. ...

By AAEE December 3, 2013 at 8:17 PM

Many, if not most, of the postings to this blog recommend at one time or another the use of the career center at your college or university. That's such an important suggestion that it merits its own post - so here it is! The career advisors at your college know what employers look for, because they interact with employers on a regular basis. They exchange ideas with employers and with other career professionals. They are constantly seeking new ways to help you connect with the employers of your choice. Here are three of the many things that you should take ...

By AAEE November 26, 2013 at 10:40 AM

Where Do You Get Your News? Last week I had the opportunity to present in a couple of classes to new education majors. Before class, several students were chatting with the instructor about a local school board meeting they attended as part of an assignment. They were surprised at the length of the meeting and the attention, or lack thereof, paid to items on the agenda. What a great assignment! The issue it raises for me is how well we follow what is going on in our communities and where that information comes from. I believe that, to be an ...

By AAEE November 20, 2013 at 11:48 AM

Bah! Humbug! ̓ Tis the season! Here come the holidays again. Whether you love or hate the holiday season (and I go back and forth), it presents a few opportunities for education job seekers that you should take advantage of. Here are two you might think about. First, maximize the advantage of holiday networking opportunities. Regardless of what holidays you celebrate, there are likely to be gatherings of various kinds that you will attend. They may be gatherings of family, friends, organizations, or informal groups of associates. Whatever the group, it's a networking opportunity. Though these gatherings may seem insignificant to ...

By AAEE November 15, 2013 at 10:57 AM

Last week I attended the annual conference for the American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE), the organization that sponsors this blog. In a few brief vacation days for me following the conference, I reflected on what professional associations, including AAEE, mean to educators. For teachers, two large umbrella organizations sometimes referred to as unions are the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). You may already be a member of one of these organizations in order to have liability insurance for your student teaching. AFT is very open about being a union; it's an affiliate ...